IN BRIEF

In brief
Luxury hits new heights
Bathe in Champagne, sleep between scented sheets and cool off while lounging around the pool with your own personal water sprayer.
These are all possible at new luxury development at the Emirates Palace resort in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, which opened last week.
Being pampered at the majestic palace, located on a 1.3km stretch of sandy beach, will set you back £6,766 a night plus a 20% service charge.
Dubbed an "architectural wonder", the £1.5b hotel includes 114 domes adorned with 1,002 custom-made Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 390 luxury bedrooms and suites, two pools, two spas, 16 restaurants and 775 plasma screens.

African dawn
A new chain of African-themed restaurants called Out of Africa is due to hit the UK later this year. Three UK restaurants are planned in the initial three- to nine-month start-up period, with founder Richard Firth hoping to open the first outlet by late summer. Firth said he had yet to secure any sites as he was still looking for an operational business partner. Start-up costs, excluding property expenses, are expected to hit £1.2m, with several backers already lined up.

Fish cake victory
Salmon and cod tartare fish cake was the catch of the day at the inaugural Seafood Challenge organised by Brakes, M&J Seafood and the Craft Guild of Chefs. The dish won Omero Gallucci, executive development chef at Compass Group, the title of overall winner after he succeeded in the premier fish cake category. The competition challenged chefs to create an innovative seafood dish that could be manufactured by Brakes.

CAPTION: One night at the Emirates Palace costs almost £7,000